Coach Stefan Kuntz made two changes to the side that beat Romania 4-2 in the semi-finals. Florian Neuhaus was replaced by Suat Serdar in holding midfield and the former Leverkusen defender Benni Henrichs returned to the left back slot after a one-match ban. Maximilian Mittelstädt dropped down to the bench.
Germany appeared to show great respect at the start to Spain who lost 1-0 in the 2017 final thanks to a goal from Mitchell Weiser. Germany were much too passive allowing Spain to control proceedings by dominating possession. And the team coached by Luis de la Fuente made full use of their first chance on goal. Fabian burst through the centre of the German defence and fired in a shot from 25 yards for the opener.
The Kuntz eleven were more adventurous after the set-back but there were no clear-cut chances before the break. Goalkeeper Antonio Sivera was only tested once. However, a deflected shot from the former Werkself pro Levin Öztunali was no problem for Spain's number one.
The second half continued in the same vein with Germany on the front foot from the start. Nadiem Amiri had a good chance to level after good work in the build-up from Henrichs but the keeper Sivera was on his toes. And the second goal for Spain came on 69 minutes – Alexander Nübel was unable to hold on to a long-range effort from Fabian and Dani Olmo was left with a simple tap-in. Fabian missed on 75 minutes and Soler hit the bar (81') in the search for the third goal.
As Luca Waldschmidt failed to convert chances in the box on 74 and 83 minutes, the goal scored by Amiri to make it 2-1 on 88 minutes was a mere consolation when he beat the Spain keeper with a deflected shot from distance. The match ended for the team led by the skipper Jonathan Tah, who went the full distance, as the U21 Euros runners-up. Reaching the semi-finals in the tournament does mean Germany qualify for the 2020 Olympics football tournament in Tokyo.
Jonathan Tah was very disappointed after the game: "We were unsettled after conceding the early goal. The second half was better. And we gave our all right to the end. We can take a lot of positives from the tournament."
Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
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A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
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SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
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The German Football League (DFL) has scheduled Matchdays 28 to 30 in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The fixtures at a glance.
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